THE number of jobs being advertised in Dorset has hit an all-time high, with 54,000 vacancies in the first half of this year.

The continuing recovery from the pandemic has been “stifled” by the lack of available workers to meet a demand which shows no sign of slowing.

According to Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) mid-year Labour Market Information Report, the number of jobs advertised was 50 per cent up on the first half of 2021.

Carers and office assistants overtook nurses and software developers as the jobs most in demand. Customer service staff, chefs, cleaners and kitchen staff all continued to be in demand as the weather boosted the tourism and hospitality revival.

Rebecca Davies, head of enterprise, skills and industry at Dorset LEP, said: “This report clearly outlines both the economic and staffing challenges our key industries in Dorset continue to be exposed to.

“The local economy was worth £709million less in 2020 with tourism and hospitality declining by almost 40 per cent as a result of the pandemic disruptions, while later recovery has been stifled by the lack of available workforce to meet the unprecedented labour demand of over 54,000 vacancies across sectors over the first half of the year.”

At the same time, unemployment reached 4.9 per cent and exceed national rates for the first time on record.

he county’s number of “economically inactive” people – such as students, the retired and those too ill to work – reached 88,000. The number of economically active people who wanted a job fell by seven per cent to 14,400.

“Vital sectors across Dorset – food production, construction, hospitality, health and social care – continue to be threatened by growing skills shortages and high staff turnover,” Ms Davies said.

The accommodation and food service sectors had 170 per cent more vacancies in the first half of 2022 than in 2021, while education saw a 110 per cent increase.

Professionals such as project, account and financial managers, lawyers and accountants also remained highly sought after.

High skilled roles such as managers, professional and associate professional roles, typically occupied by college and university graduates, accounted for 48 per cent of the demand in Dorset.

In caring occupations, demand has grown by more than 540 per cent over the past decade, while “elementary” occupations grew by more than 400 per cent.

Ms Davies added: “Amongst these challenges there are many opportunities for Dorset, particularly around developing a smart highly skilled workforce that makes the most of latest labour market developments.

“Despite the overall decline of the economy, productivity per hour worked has increased and new research from Zoom and Indeed also revealed that Bournemouth ranks 14th among the UK’s top 25 hiring hotspots for remote workers.”